Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 318 › Conversation 318-036

Nixon, Rockefeller & Reagan on Governors' dinner and Political relations

Wednesday, February 2, 1972 · 3:31 PM–4:12 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Rockefeller, Nelson A.; Reagan, Ronald W.; Milliken, William G.; Holton, LinwoodConversation318-036 on Tape 318 (tape position 02:54:59–02:59:20)StartWednesday, February 2, 1972 at 3:31 PMEndWednesday, February 2, 1972 at 4:12 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 318-036 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Governors Nelson Rockefeller, Ronald Reagan, William Milliken, and Linwood Holton to formally dictate letters of appreciation following a recent governors' dinner. The conversation highlights the administration's effort to maintain political cohesion and express gratitude for the participants' supportive remarks regarding his peace initiatives and policy agenda. These letters served to acknowledge the governors' contributions and reinforce existing alliances heading into a challenging political period.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 3 minutes of this recording (about 87% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

He has, uh, at least written four letters.
One to, uh, President Rockefeller, to your house.
Just to let you know how grateful I was for your, uh, much-demanded comments that you, you know, made there last time.
Please.
The stakes are high, and I think so, too, and that will be a tough one.
I'm sure it will.
... ... ... ... ...
um um
I don't know if you can hear me.
I don't know if you can hear me.
.
.
.
Yeah.

NARA Description

On February 2, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Nelson A. Rockefeller, Ronald W. Reagan, William G. Milliken, and Linwood Holton met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:31 pm and 4:12 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 318-036 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 318-36

Date: February 2, 1972
Time: Unknown between 3:31 pm and 4:12 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President dictated a letter to Nelson A. Rockefeller.

     Governor’s dinner, February 1, 1972
         -Rockefeller's comments
               -Appreciation

The President dictated a letter to Ronald W. Reagan.

     Governor’s dinner
         -Reagan's remarks
                  -Effectiveness
                  -Other governors
                       -Peace initiative
                  -Appreciation

The President dictated a letter to William G. Milliken.
     Governor’s dinner
         -Milliken's comments
               -Appreciation
               -Michigan
                     -The President’s forthcoming efforts

The President dictated a letter to Linwood Holton.

     Governor’s dinner
         -Holton’s remarks
               -Appreciation
                    -Holton’s support of the President in 1968

Also recorded on February 2, 1972

  • 020-032 3:17 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 3:17 pm to 3:25 pm.
  • 020-033 3:25 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:25 pm and 3:30 pm.
  • 318-033 3:25 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Hobart D. Lewis met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:25 pm and 3:30 pm.
  • 318-034 3:25 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:25 pm and 3:30 pm.
  • 020-034 3:30 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 3:30 pm to 3:31 pm.
  • 318-035 3:30 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:30 pm to 3:31 pm.
  • 318-037 3:31 PM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Manolo Sanchez, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:31 pm and 4:12 pm.
  • 318-038 3:31 PM · 39 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:31 pm and 4:12 pm.

All 71 conversations from February 2, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 318-036, February 2, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/318-036 (accessed October 12, 2026).